Suffering with Elisabeth Elliott
By: Sharon Ide
While you may not have heard of Elisabeth Elliot before, you’ve likely heard the name of her late
husband Jim Elliot, a missionary who was killed by natives in the jungles of Ecuador during an attempt to
bring them the gospel.
It goes without saying that Elisabeth was well-acquainted with suffering. Her husband’s death made her
the single mother of a 10-month-old while she continued missionary work with the Quechua people.
She and her daughter later ministered to and lived with the tribe who killed her husband. She eventually
remarried a professor of theology, Addison Leitch, who was diagnosed with cancer and died 4 years
after they were married(1).
Despite Elisabeth’s tumultuous life, she had a very simple definition of suffering: “having that which you
do not want, and wanting that which you do not have”.
Some of the suffering we face in the world weighs heavier while some is more trivial. Some comes as a
result of our own folly, some as a result of persecution for faithfulness to Christ, and some due to the fall
of God’s creation. Maybe you also find yourself a single mother, in a difficult and hostile world. Maybe
your friends and family ridicule you and consider you bigoted because of the biblical worldview you live
by. Maybe you feel burdened with anxiety, anger, and fear sparked by the current events of our time.
Regardless of how we find ourselves facing suffering, and whatever form it comes in, Elisabeth has a
steadfast rock of truth for us to cling to. We are not at the mercy of chance and chaos. We are under the
watchful eye of a sovereign God who loves us and works all for His glory(2).
A biblically sound doctrine of the sovereignty of God is not just for theologians in seminaries. It is a key
element of understanding who our God is. When we remember that God is in control of all things, we do
not despair in the face of suffering. When we recognize that he works all things by his power for the
good of his people(3), we embrace the ways this suffering shapes us to become more like Jesus. We can
let go of our idols of comfort and control and instead worship the God who voluntarily suffered the
worst punishment on the cross for our sakes.
God knows there is much suffering in this world. He does not lack compassion or action. Elisabeth
reminds us that God has, is, and will do something about it. Jesus Christ has taken on all the suffering of
eternal wrath that we deserve. He calls us to come to him if we are weary, to rest in him(4), and enjoy
eternal food and drink without price(5). He promises to come back soon and wipe away every tear(6). When
faced with suffering, Elisabeth shows us we can endure if we cling to our good and sovereign God.
For more on Elisabeth’s thoughts on suffering. Check out her talk series with Ligonier Ministries here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgfmKg642J0&list=RDCMUCut8939DdQsJI3Gw1ziAc4w&start_radi
o=1&t=1
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1 http://www.believingatmidnight.com/blog/2016/7/27/my-visit-to-elisabeth-elliots-cove
2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgfmKg642J0&list=RDCMUCut8939DdQsJI3Gw1ziAc4w&start_radio=1&t=1
3 Romans 8:28
4 Matthew 11:28
5 Isaiah 55:1
6 Revelation 24:1
